Heroic Spirit Template in One Piece

At this time, everyone had arrived at Ryugu Palace.

Caelan walked in front, and King Neptune followed half a step behind, showing respect.

Nami, the other girls, and Camie were enjoying the scenery of the palace under the guidance of several mermaid maids.

"How spectacular! It's really the Ryugu Palace!"

Camie whispered to herself excitedly.

She had never thought she would get the chance to visit Ryugu Palace. It was a huge surprise!

Compared to this, Pappag's mansion was like a snail shell, not worth mentioning.

"It really is amazing, even better than the palace in Alabasta."

Vivi nodded in admiration.

Pearls were used as embellishments, corals as decorations, and all kinds of treasures from the sea adorned the surroundings.

It was called the Ryugu Palace, and it truly lived up to its name.

The others were also amazed by the wonders of the palace.

"Caelan, what is your relationship with that mermaid?"

Neptune looked at Camie and asked curiously.

Until now, he had never heard of Caelan having any mermaid acquaintances.

How could this little mermaid girl be traveling with him?

"Before entering Fish-Man Island, we happened to see her being abducted and rescued her,"

Caelan replied casually.

"Ahem, you're truly kindhearted."

Neptune touched his nose awkwardly.

He had just arrived at Fish-Man Island and already witnessed human trafficking.

Wouldn't this ruin the good image of Fish-Man Island in Caelan's eyes?

But, having saved a mermaid, perhaps the damage wasn't too severe.

"Instead of praising me, you should be cracking down on these people."

Caelan shook his head and spoke casually.

This King Neptune, though known as a wise king, was in truth rather incompetent.

Fish-Men were born with strength ten times that of humans. They could swim freely in the deep sea, tens of thousands of meters below the surface, and possessed the ability to control seawater.

With all that, they still lived hidden away on Fish-Man Island, fearful of being captured by humans. It was surprising they weren't the ones capturing humans instead.

It would be one thing if the outside world was chaotic, but even Fish-Man Island itself was a mess.

The lower-ranked fish-men were strong and hard to control. Neptune couldn't even suppress the trafficking of mermaids.

The only notable thing about him was his kind heart, and the fact that he was a friend of Whitebeard.

If it weren't for Whitebeard's protection, Fish-Man Island would have been destroyed long ago.

"I'm sorry for embarrassing you. I will definitely make corrections!"

Neptune humbly accepted the criticism, like a subordinate receiving a superior's rebuke.

Caelan looked up at Neptune, slightly surprised.

This level of respect seemed a bit excessive.

At that moment, the eldest prince, Fukaboshi, whispered something into Neptune's ear.

Neptune looked at Caelan and laughed heartily.

"Caelan, the banquet is ready. Please come and enjoy it."

"Let's go."

Caelan nodded, no longer dwelling on Neptune's unusual behavior.

Perhaps he simply had deep respect for the strong?

Led by Neptune, everyone soon arrived at the banquet hall.

Inside, a long table was filled with all kinds of fine wines and delicacies. There were specialties from Fish-Man Island and desserts even Big Mom would appreciate. The spread included dishes of all flavors, with chicken, duck, beef, and even Sea King meat.

"Your Majesty, you're quite thoughtful."

Looking at the various meats on the table, Caelan remarked.

Since Fish-Man Island was located 10,000 meters below the sea, poultry and beef were extremely rare.

As for why there was no fish, it was because mermaids considered fish their kin and refused to eat them.

To gather this much meat, Neptune must have gone to great lengths.

"Caelan, as long as you're satisfied."

Neptune replied in delight.

He had carefully prepared this feast, pouring in nearly a month's worth of the royal budget.

If it made Caelan happy, then it was worth it.

This was the most distinguished guest he had ever received.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Caelan did not hold back and began eating.

Beside each person stood beautiful mermaid maids, pouring wine and serving food. It was a very enjoyable atmosphere.

After the meal, the girls were taken out to explore and have fun, while Caelan was invited by Neptune to a private palace.

"Caelan-sama, are you the Sun God?"

Neptune looked at Caelan with a hopeful expression.

"???"

A question mark appeared above Caelan's head, clearly puzzled.

"We've been waiting for hundreds of years, and you've finally come!"

Before Caelan could reply, Neptune blurted out excitedly.

Caelan was stunned, and suddenly everything made sense.

No wonder Neptune had been so respectful to him—he thought he was Nika.

But that wasn't right.

"How did you come to that conclusion?"

Caelan asked curiously.

He was truly surprised. How had Neptune connected him with Nika?

"From this newspaper!"

Neptune took out a treasured newspaper and spoke seriously.

On the front page was a photo of Caelan wearing his sun-wheel armor, glowing like the sun.

It had to be said, Morgans was incredibly capable to have obtained such a photo.

"What else?"

Caelan asked.

He did possess the power of the Sun God, but it was entirely different from Nika's power.

It was too far-fetched to conclude such a thing based on that image alone.

"You've slain countless evil pirates, liberated Alabasta two and a half months ago, killed two Celestial Dragons a dozen days ago, and resolved the chaos in the East Blue just recently."

"I confirmed your identity after reading about these events."

Neptune pulled out newspaper after newspaper, detailing Caelan's deeds.

He looked at Caelan, thinking: Stop pretending. You are Joy Boy!

A warrior of liberation, an enemy of the World Government.

Seeing Neptune's Conan-like deduction face, Caelan was speechless.

But maybe this wasn't a bad thing.

In a flash of insight, Caelan had an idea.

"I have the power of the Sun God, so you could say I'm a warrior of liberation."

"But I'm not Joy Boy. Joy Boy died eight hundred years ago."

Caelan said seriously and sincerely.

"I understand. I understand everything!"

Neptune was so excited he could barely speak, looking at Caelan like he was a savior.

Whether he was a liberation warrior or Joy Boy, he hadn't given away any information.

Caelan was still so young, yet he had spoken so frankly about such matters. That only confirmed Neptune's belief.

Joy Boy had indeed died, eight hundred years ago.

The Caelan standing before him was clearly not the original Joy Boy, but the inheritor of his will.

"Good. As long as you understand."

Caelan smiled calmly.

He hadn't lied at all. It was up to Neptune how he interpreted it.

At that moment, the eldest prince, Fukaboshi, shouted anxiously from outside the palace.

"This is bad, Father! Hody Jones is coming with over 80,000 pirates!"

(To be continued.)

***

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